How to update GIgabyte X58 BIOS in 64bit Windows?

Question

I want to update my EX58 GIGABYTE motherboard but there is no 64-bit BIOS update tool available. I'm getting this:

--------------------------- Unsupported 16-Bit Application
--------------------------- The program or feature
"\??\X:\Downloads\motherboard_bios_ga-ex58-ud4_f7d\FLASHSPI.EXE"
cannot start or run due to
incompatibility with 64-bit versions of
Windows. Please contact the software
vendor to ask if a 64-bit Windows
compatible version is available.


--------------------------- OK   
---------------------------

What can I do?

Answer 1

GIGABYTE has a tool called @BIOS which will check their main server for the most recent version of firmware for your motherboard, download, and flash the BIOS.

Here is a link: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Utility_DownloadFile.aspx?FileType=Utility&FileID=150

Answer 2

If there is a Floppy based version of the BIOS update, use that (if you have to, you may need to buy a USB based floppy drive or barrow a friend's).

Other ideas include creating a BartPE/UltimateBoot CD for Windows (UBCD4WIN)/Windows PE CD and trying to install from that.

Is there a specific reason you are updating the BIOS? When it comes to BIOS, I GENERALLY follow the thinking that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" - if you need some new functionality of the new BIOS, that's one thing, but if you're upgrading just because there's an upgrade, at least with BIOS, I don't consider that wise.

Reference Links:

• Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (requires XP or 2003) - http://www.ubcd4win.com
• Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK - Windows PE is a part of this; doesn't require XP or 2003 but can be comparatively difficult to create a CD) - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C7D4BC6D-15F3-4284-9123-679830D629F2

EDIT: Also remembered - there are boot CDs you can make - DOS boot CDs that can skip the floppy - I've only done it once and it worked ok. Check out www.bootdisk.com (but just remember, you need a DOS version of the BIOS updater for that to work)

And just to clarify - 64 bit versions of Windows have ZERO support for 16 bit applications, so that 16 bit app will never run. If there's a 32 bit version, that MIGHT work, but apps that interact directly with hardware like that often NEED to be 64 bit on a 64 bit system. (Although I suppose if a 16 bit BIOS update app works on a 32 bit system, then a 32 bit BIOS update app might just work fine on a 64 bit system)

Answer 3

The above link is outdated. Here is the updated link

https://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/121/tech_a_bios.htm

Answer 4

Thanks the suggestions found a better solution called Qflash - http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/NewTech/old_motherboard_newtech/tech_qflash.htm . A feature of GIGABYTE motherboards.

Answer 5

Have you tried it from FreeDOS? http://www.freedos.org/